UNESCO is joining the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) and other partners in a major five-day Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development which will be held just prior to the Rio+20 conference in Rio de Janeiro. The Forum will provide a platform for the science, technology and innovation community to discuss sustainable development challenges and solutions with policy-makers and other stakeholders.

Ministers of the Environment of over 30 countries from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and a number of Latin American and European countries participated in an informal ministerial roundtable, a follow-up to the Durban climate negotiations organized by EC Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, EC Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potočnik and the Danish EU Presidency on 7-8 May 2012.

The UNFCCC climate negotiations in Durban in November/December 2011 (COP17) provided important breakthroughs in the international climate talks and the implementation of international agreements, including a decision to develop by 2015 an ambitious, new legal instrument applicable to all, that will be informed by the latest science and ensure the highest level of mitigation efforts by all Parties.

The 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable development (Rio+20) is an opportunity to set a new agenda for a sustainable future. As delegates meet in New York for the second round of informal negotiations on the zero drat of the Rio+20 outcome document, a side event was organized to inform them of the potential value of coastal ecosystem conservation through blue carbon initiatives, as a means to ensure long term sustainability of coastal areas and green economic development whilst effectively mitigating climate change.

UNESCO provided scientific leadership towards the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) through its work to organize the Planet Under Pressure Conference held in London from 26-29 March 2012, as the co-chair of the International Scientific Organizing Committee.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) plays a crucial role in empowering citizens to achieve the transition towards more sustainable and equitable societies. In a world of seven billion people, with the largest ever youth population and limited natural resources, education must enable learners to acquire relevant competencies to address sustainability challenges.

We are committed to placing science at the heart of all efforts for sustainable development,? said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova on 29 March, at the opening of the High-level Welcome at the Planet Under Pressure Conference held in London. She highlighted the Organization?s role in helping States answer key questions about equitable and inclusive growth together, with the help of science.

Wandering from session to session at the Planet Under Pressure conference, which is taking place in London (UK) from 27 to 29 March, one thing quickly becomes clear. Hardly anyone denies that the social sciences have a vital role to play in understanding planetary pressures and in establishing the basis for sustainable development.

UNESCO will join with scientists, political leaders, academics, health specialists, representatives of other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the private sector and the media, at a conference in London from 26 to 29 March to take stock of the health of the planet. Over the four days, they?ll examine the latest data on key indicators including climate change, declining biodiversity, food security and governance.

Sufficient good-quality water is key to the health and well-being of humans and ecosystems and an essential ingredient for socio-economic development. It is estimated that fresh water will become an increasingly scarce resource in the coming years.

As demand for water increases across the globe, the availability of fresh water in many regions is likely to decrease because of climate change, warns the latest edition of the United Nations? World Water Development Report (WWDR4). The Report ?Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk? was launched today at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille (France). It predicts that these pressures will exacerbate economic disparities between certain countries, as well as between sectors or regions within countries. Much of the burden, it says, is likely to fall on the poor.

On Tuesday 6 March, an information session was organized at the European parliament by UNESCO?s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC) and MEP Kriton ARSENIS, to raise awareness on current ocean-related issues in view of the upcoming United Nation Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).

Higher Education Institutions around the globe have a crucial role to play in designing the ?Future We Want?. In the lead up to the conference, UNESCO, together with other UN agencies collaborating with university networks invites leaders of the international academic community to sign a declaration, committing themselves to developing sustainable practices for Universities.

UNESCO in collaboration with 28 UN agencies leads the World Water Development Report, which is produced every three years. The Fourth World Water Report will be launched at the Sixth World Water Forum on 12 March by UNESCO?s Director-General, Irina Bokova.

The ocean is an integral part of our planet, and is an absolutely essential component of human lives, livelihoods and the environment that sustains us. It is a single, contiguous body of water that encircles the globe, covering 70% of its surface. While the Ocean itself is undivided, its management is a complex web of inter-related, intertwined, converging and competing demands and interests. The scale of the challenges facing the ocean today is such that singular efforts by various organizations specializing in one aspect or area are not enough.

The report details recommendations from the five regional science and technology workshops (for Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Arab States, and Europe) that were organised in 2011 by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and UNESCO for Rio+20.

UNESCO just published the report ?From Green Economies to Green Societies ? UNESCO?s Commitment to Sustainable Development?. It provides the Organization?s vision for Rio+20 and gives concrete examples demonstrating the Organization?s work to promote sustainable development. It also provides a roadmap for future action on how to build equitable, inclusive, green societies through education, the sciences, culture and communication and information.

On 9 December 2011 the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its Sixty-sixth session adopted a new Resolution on the ?Law of Transboundary Aquifers?. This Resolution calls upon the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP) to support countries in the sustainable and equitable management of their transboundary aquifers. It also encourages UNESCO-IHP to continue its scientific and technical work on the assessment of the transboundary aquifers of the world, an action that is pivotal for the peaceful sharing of groundwater resources and the prevention of conflicts.